Middlewich, NHS and a hot, hot sun

Keen to get away from the busy road, we descended Kings Lock, filled with water, then turned left, off the Trent and Mersey on to the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal. Vicky was feeling stronger today and was pleased to be able to work Rainboat up through Wardle Lock.

We were now retracing our steps from November 2023 when it was cold and bucketing down with rain; a huge contrast to this week's heatwave! We moored soon after Wardle Lock in between other boats at the town's ring moorings.

Middlewich doesn't have a huge number of shops but it's the largest town we've come accross in a while. Pretty much as soon as we'd moored Will was off with his wallet in hand. As well as happily spending time in the angling superstore, the Middlewich DIY store and picking up our prescriptions, he visited a dentist. He's currently registered with an NHS dentist in Rowlands Gill near Vicky's parents. We'd get checkups and treatment when we visited in the van, but now we have the cats, only one of us can leave the boat. The cost, time and organisation required to get up there are a major disadvantage. We believe in the NHS and want to keep using it but he'd been having problems with his wisdom tooth for some time so made the decision his teeth were more important than his principles and booked in for a private appointment the next day. The clinician diagnosed an infection under the tooth, advised swilling with salt water, prescribed antibiotics in case it worsened and booked him in for an extraction in September when we'd be passing back through Middlewich. All very efficient!

On a roll, he called a nearby GP surgery, hoping to get his overdue second shingles vaccination. The NHS states you have a right to register with any GP without needing an address and you should be able to get a temporary registration for treatments such as this. Unfortunately the receptionist was having none of it. The surgery didn't have enough space for any temporary patients and insisted on a local address for permanent registration. Listening to other boaters, it seems this is par for the course. Changing tack, he registered online at the Doctors Surgery near his sister Sue's house and was pleased to get a welcome back message shortly after. It will be an extra bonus to spend time with the family.

Rainboat was facing west, with back gardens bordering the canal on both sides. There was a hedge on Rainboat's starboard but her port side was facing the full strength of the sun on a 29° day 🥵 Will paddled Little Rainboat to under the shade of a tree and spent a few hours fishing while Vicky stayed on board, opening and closing windows, doors and blinds as the sun moved round, eating ice cream and putting frozen peas in the dogs' puzzle feeder. It had been a productive 48 hours in town but we vowed to move on and seek shade the next day when the forecast was even hotter.Read more